New Gears 2 DLC expands campaign

Microsoft and Epic have announced the Gears of War 2 "Dark Corners" expansion pack, which will be sold through Xbox Live and as part of a new DLC bundle-in-a-box called the All Fronts Collection.

Dark Corners and All Fronts will both go on sale worldwide on 28th July. All Fronts, which also includes the Flashback, Combustible and Snowblind map packs, will cost GBP 14.99 / EUR 19.99, while Dark Corners will cost 1600 Microsoft Points (GBP 13.60 / EUR 19.20).

Dark Corners, then, consists of seven multiplayer maps, but it also includes a new campaign chapter called Road to Ruin, where Marcus and Dom return to the Locust Hollow (they just can't get enough). Players can either blast it out with the Locust or opt for stealth.

The new multiplayer maps, meanwhile, are Allfathers Garden (the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders), Memorial (a battle in the Tomb of Unknowns, with Boomshot control paramount), Sanctuary (tight paths, blind corners and corridors), War Machine (abandoned train station), Highway (underground road system), Way Station (a minefield of hidden grenades, apparently) and Nowhere (long sight-lines in the middle of nowhere for the Longshot to feast on).

Epic has also said that Dark Corners will offer new Achievements - "in fact, more than any previous Gears DLC" according to producer Rod Fergusson, taking the total available from Gears 2 and its add-ons to the ceiling of 1750G.

Announcing the bundles, Microsoft said that Gears of War 2 has now sold over 5 million units worldwide, bringing total sales of the two Gears games to more than 11 million. Not too shabby!

Inevitably though, with an unusually high Xbox Live price, there's been some debate on the boards. Fergusson explained: "In the past, like other games, we've charged 800 Points for 3-4 multiplayer maps. This time we are doubling that to 7 maps and including a new single-player chapter (a deleted scene if you will) for the price of 1600 Points. As a one to one comparison that seems fair."